Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team
by Espeon7373
Summary: This is a retelling of the first Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game in narrative format. The characters featured are a young human girl transformed into a Charmander and her partner, Treecko. The story delves deeper into the Mystery Dungeon world and explains why and how certain events happen in the main storyline of the game.
1. My journey begins

Chapter 1: My journey begins

I grabbed a pencil off of my desk and began, reluctantly, to work on my homework in my room. Man, did I hate school. Tomorrow, I had a test, and I was not looking forward to it! I stared longingly at my Nintendo DS, currently containing the latest Pokémon Mystery Dungeon game. I sighed in frustration and began my work.

"Hello. It is nice to meet you at last."

I looked up from my work to see a…Gardevoir? "H…How did you get here? Where did you come from?" I managed to stammer. "Who are you?"

"I think you know exactly who I am. I am Gardevoir."

"Oh, you're one of those uh…cosplay people, right? Wow, I must admit that you look pretty authentic."

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about."

I stared at her in confusion, "Wait a minute. Why isn't your mouth moving!?"

The Gardevoir laughed, "I'm using telepathy, of course. I don't understand your human language, but I can easily read your thoughts and transmit mine to you." As she said this, I could literally feel her words entering my mind.

"You are a Gardevoir." I said at last.

"Yes. And you are Emma," she stated simply.

"How do you know my name!?" I asked in alarm. "Did you read my mind?"

"No, I have known you for a while now. You, Emma, have been chosen for a very important task."

"What kind of task?" I asked.

Gardevoir began, "Listen very carefully. I am a messenger in the spirit world, and I have been assigned to find someone capable of saving our world, the world of Pokémon. There is a universe out there that contains humans and Pokémon living in harmony. But our universe is falling apart. The balance of nature has been disturbed. We, the spirits of dead humans and Pokémon, have been searching for a cause and a solution to the problem at hand. We believe that the cause of this upset in the balance of the world is due to the approach of a giant meteor from space. The only way to stop this meteor is for the legendary Pokémon, Rayquaza, to destroy it. However, Rayquaza is extremely stubborn and territorial. His mind, also, is heavily guarded, so that even we spirits cannot get to him. We need someone able to convince Rayquaza of the seriousness of the situation."

"Whoa, this sounds exactly like the plot of my video game, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team."

"Those games were created in order to find you, Emma. Indeed, they are a prediction of things to come. We visited a man named Satoshi Tajiri, told him about our world, and asked him to create such games about our world. This way, whoever truly immersed himself or herself in the games would be observed for the potential to complete this task. I have searched far and wide for someone like you, Emma. Someone with the power to reach Rayquaza and save our world."

"Power? I don't have any power. I can barely defend myself against my brother, much less a legendary dragon!" I said with skepticism.

"Power does not always come in the form of brute strength. Courage is also power. And you have an immense amount of true courage and faith."

"Courage? Now that I'm even less sure about!" I laughed.

"I know I have chosen well." Gardevoir said. She then proceeded to open some kind of gold, glowing door in the middle of my room! "This is the portal that leads to the world of Pokémon. But before I can let you through, you must become one of us, a Pokémon. Because of your bravery, you will become the Pokémon, Charmander."

"Wait, wait, wait! I still don't think I'm very brave. Why don't you test me first? Like in the Mystery Dungeon game. Let me battle Groudon or something strong like that. See if I survive. Oh, and, if I die…"

"You will come back to your world here, yes. You won't be able to return to our world again, however. Your test will be arranged. However, in order to prevent this conversation or your knowledge of events to come from interfering with your test, may I suggest the wiping of your memory?"

I paused to consider, "Ummm…well I guess that would a good idea, but does it have to be my entire memory?"

Gardevoir paused. "I will let you keep your knowledge of Pokémon species, types, moves, and such, but not the plot of your games. Also, you will remember your name and the fact that you were once human. But I cannot allow you to remember your life as a human, such as your family or friends or even actions. I fear it would cause homesickness that might interfere with your mission."

"Darn. I guess you're right," I admitted. I didn't like the thought of not being able to remember stuff! But I didn't believe Gardevoir was lying at all considering all the events that had happened up to this point (like the giant portal in my room, for example.) So, I believed that I needed to do this.

Gardevoir asked me, "Do you accept these conditions and the mission at hand? Remember, you will be allowed to return to your world and your memories will be restored once the mission is complete."

With determination, I stepped towards the portal, saying, "I'm ready!"

"Then follow me." Gardevoir said as she led me into the light.


	2. Awakening

Chapter 2: Awakening

…Where am I?...

…I feel a pleasant breeze…

…I hear a voice somewhere…

…I wonder who it is?...

"Hey! … Excuse me? Are you all right? Wake up already!"

I heard blurred voices. It sounded like a teenage boy, maybe 13 or 14 years old. My head was still so foggy, though!

"Please wake up! Oh, great, what am I going to do?"

Someone was shaking me! I needed to get up right now! I stood up and opened my eyes, but my vision was still a little blurry. Was it just me or was that boy green?

"Hey! I'm glad you're finally awake! You had me worried there for a second. You were passed out here."

"What? I was? Where is this? And who are you? And why are you green?"

The guy seemed taken aback by my flurry of questions. "You're on the outskirts of the Tiny Woods, and my name is Treecko. He looked at me strangely, "I am a Grass-type, you know."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I rubbed my eyes so I could see better. "You're a Pokémon?! And you're talking?! That's not possible!"

"Did you hit your head or something? You're a Pokémon, too, you know. And, by the looks of it, I'd say you're a Charmander." Treecko said.

"That's funny! A Charmander! No, I'm actually a human!" I laughed. "Don't you see my hair?" Instinctively, I reached up to my head, where I felt…smooth skin. "What?! Where's my hair?" I panicked.

"Ummm, you're kinda weird. I don't think Charmander are supposed to have hair."

Then, I stopped to look at my hands. They were orange! I also had only four, rather sharp fingers sticking out on each of my hands. At least I still had opposable thumbs! I then reached behind me to see none other than a long, orange tail with a flame on the tip, just like a Charmander! I WAS a Charmander!

"Okay, so what's your name? Do you live in the wild or in a town?" Treecko asked.

"Uhhh…" I thought hard. What's my name? I have to remember this! Why have I forgotten my own name? Then it came to me. "My name's Emma," I told Treecko.

"Emma, huh? That's a funny name!" Treecko burst out laughing. After a few moments, he said, "So you must be a wild Pokémon, then!"

"What? I'm not wild! I'm as calm as can be." I retorted.

"No, I didn't mean it like that!" Treecko laughed. "I just meant that since you have a nickname other than your species name, you must have lived with other Charmander in the wild!"

"Uh, human, remember?" I said.

"Yeah, okay, right." Treecko rolled his eyes. "Since you're obviously having a hard time remembering stuff, I'll explain. Normally, a Pokémon will be called by their species name, like me! I'm a Treecko, and I'm the only one that lives nearby, so I don't have a nickname! But if a Pokémon lives in the wild with others of their own species, they need nicknames to distinguish between each other. Do you remember now?"

"No, but it makes sense," I admitted.

Just then, I heard a voice crying for help. A Butterfree flew into view, crying and fluttering about in a panic. "Oh, other Pokémon! Please, you have to help me! My baby!" the Butterfree cried as she continued to wildly fly about the area.

"Wait, calm down. Tell us exactly what happened," Treecko told the Butterfree.

The Butterfree stopped to face us, its expression still clouded with worry. "My baby Caterpie has wandered off into these woods! You see, we just moved here to this area and I'm not familiar with the region yet. I thought these woods might be a safe place for my baby to play, so I let him wander off on his own. I waited a long time, but he hadn't returned, so I went to look for him. But when I went to get him, wild Pokémon attacked me! I don't usually like to battle, and I'll admit that I'm not very strong, but I managed to fight the Pokémon off until I found my baby Caterpie."

Treecko interrupted, "Okay, then, what's the problem? You found him, right? Where is he?"

"He…he…" The Butterfree began to tear up again. "He fell into a fissure in the ground! The fissure must have opened up from the recent earthquakes. I'm too big to fit into it, but I could hear my baby crying out to me! I rushed back to get help." Looking us over, she said, "You two are probably small enough to fit through. Please, save my baby!"

With a serious look on his face, Treecko said, "Okay, this sounds bad. Let's go, Emma!" Treecko rushed into the woods, with me following closely behind.


	3. My first rescue

Chapter 3: My first rescue

As Treecko and I began to run through the woods, Treecko began to quiz me. "What is the last thing you remember before waking up?" "Where did you come from?" "Who are your family and friends?"

"I don't know!" I said in at last in exasperation. "I don't remember anything besides my name and the fact that I'm really a human!" This whole situation is really strange. In fact, the only explanation that I could think of was that I was in a dream. But, in dreams, you don't lose all of your memories, right?

Despite my protests, Treecko continued to drill me with questions. "What is the name of the Pokémon we just met?" he asked.

"Butterfree," I answered instinctively.

"Aha! You do remember something! What do you know about Butterfree?" Treecko inquired in excitement.

"Bug and Flying, evolves from Metapod at level 10, which evolves from Caterpie at level 7. It learns Confusion directly after evolving and proceeds to learn all of the powder-based moves soon thereafter. Those include Stun Spore, Poisonpowder, and Sleep Powder. It is also well-known for its use of Whirlwind, Supersonic, and, most powerfully, Silver Wind," I rattled from memory.

Treecko's mouth hung open. "Whoa, how do you know that much? Even I don't know that much about Butterfree!"

"I can't explain it," I replied, "I have no clue why I have that information, but it just came to me naturally."

Treecko thought for a moment. "If you were a human like you say you were, you must have been a Pokémon Trainer or something like that. That was amazing!"

"What's a Pokémon Trainer?" I asked.

Before Treecko could answer, a Pidgey swooped out of the forest from nowhere and began pecking at both of us furiously. "Get out of my territory, get out! Get out!" it continuously screeched.

"Attack it!" Treecko yelled. I struggled to get the bird off of me in whatever way I could, thrashing about wildly and trying to attack. I swung my tail at the bird, tried to bite it, and even attempted to use my pitiful pointy fingers that are not quite claws. Finally, Treecko and I managed to scare the bird away.

Something shiny and gold dropped from the bird's talons as it flew away. It was a round coin with a P on it, about the size of a half-dollar. On the other side of the coin, in tiny text, was the number 51 engraved. "What is this?" I asked Treecko as I picked up the coin.

Treecko gave me an incredulous look. "You don't know what that is? That's Poké, of course."

"Poké?" I asked.

Treecko facepalmed. "Yes, it's Pokémon money. You can use it to buy stuff like berries and orbs. See the number on the back? That's how much the Poké is worth."

"So this is worth 51 Poké? Wow, that sounds like a lot!" I replied excitedly.

"Not really. We might be able to buy an Oran Berry with it, but not much else." Treecko headed deeper into the forest. "Go ahead and keep it anyway but hurry up! We've got to rescue Caterpie!"

Treecko and I continued to make our way through the forest. As I looked up in the trees, I saw blue and pink berries growing everywhere. Wow, those sure look delicious! I could also see Sunkern and Wurmple in the trees throwing anxious glances our way. As we continued through the forest, I started to hear crying in the distance. The crying got louder and clearer as we continued through the forest. Finally, we found a clearing a few feet away from us, and I could see a giant fissure running through the ground.

"We've almost made it!" Treecko exclaimed. Just then, I heard a rustle from the bushes surrounding the clearing. Treecko and I both turned around just in time to see a very angry Exeggcute emerging from the bushes.

"Get out, intruders!" the Exeggcute screamed as it rush towards us, as fast as an Exeggcute could rush anyway. I looked at Treecko in a panic, but he had that determined look on his face once again.

"Get ready, Emma!" he said as he took a battle stance.

I drilled my mind for information about Exeggcute. It was Grass and Psychic, so Fire attacks would be super effective! I'm a Charmander now, but how do I breathe fire? I opened my mouth, took a deep breath, and exhaled strongly, producing…nothing. Well, my tail is on fire at least. I charged at the Exeggcute, swinging my tail to attack. The Exeggcute cried in pain, but my attack didn't seem to do a lot of damage. By this time, Treecko had come to my aid, but the Exeggcute was preparing an attack of his own. He was staring directly at Treecko, unblinking. And, strangely enough, Treecko started staring at him back, also unblinking.

It was a Hypnosis attack! This I also knew instinctively for some strange reason. "Treecko!" I yelled. "Close your eyes! It's a Hypnosis attack!"

With some difficulty, Treecko listened to me and closed his eyes, stopping the attack. The Exeggcute growled back in response, frustrated that his attack had failed. Snapping back into focus, Treecko quickly swung his tail with the force of a whip, slamming into Exeggcute and knocking him out.

"Yes!" Treecko cheered. "Okay, now let's get to that clearing and rescue Caterpie!"

When we arrived at the clearing, I ran up to the fissure, carefully peering down into it. "Please help me!" I heard a voice yell in between fits of crying.

"Caterpie? Is that you? Can you climb out? We're here to rescue you." I yelled down.

"I can't get out," his high baby voice cried out. "Mommy says my sticky pads on my feet aren't ready yet 'cause I'm too little." The Caterpie paused. "I want my mommy!" Caterpie began crying again.

Treecko came up beside me. "What do we do, Emma? It's so dark that I can't see Caterpie at all!"

I thought for a moment and an idea came to me. "I'll use my tail to light it up!" I said. I took my tail and brought it close to the fissure. Caterpie was only about five feet down, still crying. Now how were we supposed to get down there? I thought of jumping, but now that I was a Charmander I was only about two feet tall, so I might hurt myself if I jumped. Treecko was even shorter, so he couldn't jump either.

Treecko suddenly spoke up from beside me. "Okay, I can see you now, Caterpie. I'll come get you."

"What are you talking about, Treecko? You'll get hurt if you jump!" I cried.

"Calm down, Emma. I know what I'm doing. See? Feel my hands." he showed me his hands and I touched my own to his. They were sorta spiky, but I couldn't see anything. "My hands and feet have little hooks on them, so I can climb trees and even walls easily," Treecko explained.

He got on all fours and began to climb down into the hole. I held my tail steadily so he could see. "Come on, Caterpie! Let's get you out of here. Climb on my back and hold on," Treecko instructed. Caterpie obeyed, and in a few minutes, both of them were out safely.

"Stay close behind us, Caterpie, and we'll lead you back to your mommy," I said.

"Okay," Caterpie replied meekly as we tiptoed past the unconscious Exeggcute and headed back through the forest quietly. The trek back through the forest this time was uneventful, and we soon reached the place where I had originally woken up. Butterfree was there, waiting. "Mommy!" Caterpie happily cried as he ran to embrace his mother.

"Caterpie! My baby!" Butterfree exclaimed, hugging her son tightly. Treecko and I walked up to the family with broad smiles on our faces, happy that we managed to rescue Caterpie and reunite Butterfree with her son. "Thank you so much, sincerely!" Butterfree told us. "Please, may I have your names, at least?"

"My name's Treecko, and this is Emma," Treecko said.

"Cooool," Caterpie said as he stared at us with his big, black eyes. I've gotta admit, it was kinda creepy, but it didn't feel bad, either. It was like we were heroes.

"Please," Butterfree said, "it's not much, but take these as a token of my appreciation." She gave Treecko one each of those blue and pink berries I saw in the forest. Also, she handed me a different, light blue berry resembling a strawberry.

"No problem," Treecko said, "we were glad to help."

Butterfree responded, "Thank you again," before turning to Caterpie and saying, "Come on, Caterpie, time to go home." The two of them left happily.

"Hey, Emma," Treecko turned to me. "What are you going to do now? I mean, do you have anything in mind?"

I looked down at the ground sadly. "Not really, no," I responded.

"Then, why don't you form a rescue team with me?" Treecko asked out of the blue. "I really liked how you handled yourself on that last rescue. In fact, I really couldn't have done it without you. So, what do you say?"

I looked at him in confusion. "What's a rescue team?"

"Oh, boy, really Emma?" Treecko shook his head sadly. "I can't believe you don't know this. Recently, there have been many natural disasters, and Pokémon in many areas have been affected. So, lots of Pokémon have decided to form rescue teams to help Pokémon in trouble, like that Caterpie we just rescued."

"Okay, I get it. Sure, I definitely would like to form a rescue team with you, Treecko!" I smiled.

"Okay, great! The sun's going down so, our rescue team starts tomorrow!" Treecko said happily. His expression changed as he said, "Do you have a place to stay, though?"

"Uh….no," I said sadly.

"Well, that's no problem, then!" Treecko smiled. "I have the perfect place for you to stay! Follow me!"


	4. My new home

Chapter 4: My new home

Treecko and I walked back from Tiny Woods, chatting the whole way. I held the berry I received from Butterfree, which I found out was a Rawst Berry, in one hand and my Poké in the other. Treecko also had his hands full with the other two berries, one Oran Berry and one Pecha Berry. "So, what was that attack you used to knock the Exeggcute out?" I asked Treecko. "I swung my tail at it, too, but it didn't do nearly as much damage as your attack did."

"That? Oh, that was a Pound attack. It's called a move, and it's much stronger than a regular attack like the one you used. But the downside is that you can only use moves a certain number of times before you run out of energy to perform the move again."

"I wonder if I know any moves," I mused.

"Of course, silly, all Pokémon have moves!" Treecko laughed. He paused. "You definitely seem strange for a Pokémon."

"I just became a Pokémon, remember? I'm not used to it yet. Honestly, I think all of this is a nice dream that will fade eventually."

"You calling me a dream?" Treecko joked. "I think you just hit your head and got amnesia or something. I've never heard of a human turning into a Pokémon before."

"Well, it happened, or else this really is a dream, because I know I'm human," I stated.

After about five minutes of walking, Treecko announced, "We're here!" We had arrived at a small hut with a flagpole next to it waving in the breeze. A mailbox stood in front of the house, and multiple small fires surrounded the place. Torches adorned the doorway and the fence around the hut. I looked at Treecko strangely.

"Why would you live in a house surrounded by fire when you're a Grass-type?"

"Oh, this isn't my house!" Treecko laughed. "It's my rescue team base! I've always wanted to form a rescue team, so I bought a hut right outside of town. Unfortunately, though, it was meant to be a home for Fire-type Pokémon, but it was the only house close to town that I could afford." Treecko smiled sheepishly.

Maybe I was a pyromaniac when I was human or maybe it was just an instinct thing, but I really liked this place. It was perfect for me to live in! The heat of the fires comforted me, and the hut seemed to be just the right size. I told Treecko, "I love this place! It's perfect! You mean I can live here?"

"Yes, of course! I knew you'd like it, Emma!" Treecko happily exclaimed.

"But…" I began to ask, "where do you live?"

"I live in a place called Overgrown Forest right outside of town. It's not far, but it suits me perfectly. So, feel free to have the base all to yourself! Consider it a thank-you gift for starting a rescue team with me! "By the way, I haven't thought of a team name yet. Can you think of one?" Treecko asked me all of a sudden.

"Wait, I know basically nothing about rescue teams and you're asking me to come up with a name for one?"

"I've wanted to form a rescue team for a long time now, and I still can't think of a good name. I need some fresh ideas, Emma!"

I thought for a bit. "How about Team Destiny?" I asked. Looking at my new home and my new friend, it seemed I was somehow destined to join up with Treecko. Why else would he have a house for Fire-types and a spot on a rescue team just waiting for me? I realized it was a cheesy name, but…I still liked it.

"Hey, that's good! It's got spirit!" Treecko agreed. "From now on, we're Team Destiny!" Treecko raised his hand high in the air dramatically. "Now come inside!"

We entered through the door, Treecko eyeing the torches on the sides nervously. The inside was simple, with only a pile of hay for a bed. Wait…a pile of hay? Won't my tail burn the hay? I tested the makeshift bed out, walking onto it hesitantly. Treecko, though, took this as a cue to leave.

"Well, the sun's almost gone down, so I gotta get back to my home. See you in the morning, Emma!" With that, he ran out the door faster than I've ever seen him run! He probably was terrified by all the fires, but I liked them.

Now that Treecko was gone, exhaustion started to set in. I still needed to make sure my tail wouldn't burn the place down, though! I carefully brought my tail up to the hay, ready to squash any fire that started with my foot. Surprisingly, though, the hay didn't catch on fire! Was the hay fireproof maybe? I lied down on the hay, comfortably nestling myself in it without fear of my tail lighting it on fire.

As I lied there trying to fall asleep, another thought crossed my mind. Could I touch my own tail flame without burning myself? Or did I always have to be afraid of my own tail lighting me on fire? What if I touched it in my sleep? The worries about my new tail kept me from sleeping, so I finally got up and decided to test it. I started by waving my hand through the flame. Nothing. Then, I gathered up my courage and stuck my hand directly in the flame. It felt warm, but nothing more. I felt relieved, and promptly fell on my bed and went to sleep.

I woke up just as sunlight was beginning to filter through the windows. I had stayed up pretty late worrying about my new body, so I still felt groggy and sleepy. I wondered if Treecko was up yet. I got up from my bed and thought about checking for him outside, but I decided that I needed more sleep. Surprisingly, my bed of hay was really comfortable, and I quickly fell asleep again.

After a few more hours of sleep, I woke up to see that the sun had fully risen and a new day had begun. I still was in this Charmander body. If this was a dream, it sure was a long one!

I remembered that a Pokémon had asked me to form a rescue team. That's right, it was Treecko! I left the hut and walked outside to see none other than Treecko, slouched over asleep in front of the hut. I prodded him a few times, and he finally woke up, looking about.

"Huh? What? Where?" he mumbled incoherently. "Oh yeah! I was so excited about our new rescue team that I rushed out here at dawn to wait for you, Emma! I must have fallen asleep!" Treecko rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"That's okay," I said. "So, what do we do first?"

"We check the mailbox, of course!" Treecko exclaimed excitedly. He ran over to the mailbox in front of our base and looked inside. He then proceeded to pull out something really big. He set a box of some sort on the ground. "It's here! It's finally here!"

"What? What's here?" I asked.

"It's the Rescue Team Starter Kit I ordered a few days ago. It contains all the essentials for being a rescue team." The box Treecko was staring at so excitedly looked to me like an ordinary box. It was red on the upper half and cream on the bottom half, with a shoulder strap for easy carrying. On the front of the box was a weird-looking emblem.

"What's this?" I asked Treecko, pointing at the shape.

Treecko reached for the emblem and…removed it from the box! A groove was left where the emblem once was. "This is a Rescue Team Badge! It shows that we're an official rescue team! Psychic-type Pokémon make these badges, so they're imbued with the power to teleport us and anyone we're rescuing out of a dangerous place." Treecko sighed, "If we had already had this yesterday, we wouldn't have had to walk back through the Tiny Woods to return Caterpie to his mother. Apparently, you just hold it up to a Pokémon and it will teleport that Pokémon! I can't wait to try it!"

"Yeah, sounds neat!" I agreed. "But how do you control where you teleport to?"

"Meh, don't know." Treecko shrugged. "Guess we'll find out when we use it." He placed the badge back in its spot and opened the box, peering inside. The box seemed to contain many different compartments and pockets and there was a newspaper sitting in one of those pockets. Treecko pulled it out.

"Yes! Not only do we get our Toolbox, they included an issue of the Pokémon News and a free subscription to it!" Treecko exclaimed.

"Huh?" I asked dumbly.

Treecko facepalmed. "Emma, Emma. Do I really have to explain everything to you?" I nodded in response. "Look, the Toolbox is what rescue teams use to carry items like the berries we got from Butterfree yesterday. And the Pokémon News is a newspaper for rescue teams! See?" He threw me the newspaper, which was printed with odd footprint-shaped markings that I couldn't read. Maybe this was how Pokémon wrote?

"Here. I can't read it. You can have it." I threw the paper back to Treecko.

"Wait, what? You can't read it? Why not?" Treecko asked.

"Um, as I've said before, I'm a human. We have a different alphabet."

Treecko looked at me, dumbfounded. "Wow, Emma, you sure are taking this whole human business pretty seriously." Treecko looked deep in thought. A long silence followed. He suddenly broke the silence, smiling happily. "Well, anyway, where is the Rawst Berry I gave you to hold yesterday?"

"Inside. I'll go get it." I ran inside my house and picked up my Rawst Berry and my Poké I had left next to my bed last night. Running back outside, I gave them to Treecko.

"Cool, we can put these berries in our new Toolbox. Hey, Emma, do you mind carrying the Toolbox when we go on missions? I usually walk on all fours, so it would be easier to just have you carry it."

"Yeah, sure." I agreed.

"Cool, then here you go." Treecko handed the box to me, and I strapped it over my shoulder. Then his face suddenly fell. "But, we don't have any rescue requests yet." He looked up. "Oh, maybe there's one hiding in the back of the mailbox! Let me go check!" He ran to the mailbox and peered inside. "We don't have any more mail." Treecko let out a disappointed sigh.

Just then, I heard the sound of flapping overhead. I looked up into the bright sunlight to see a Pelipper flying by, coming straight for our base! He landed on our mailbox, lowered his head, and deposited something inside our mailbox! "Good morning, Treecko!" the Pelipper said cheerfully.

"Good morning, Pelipper!" Treecko responded. "Have you met my new partner, Emma?" he pointed at me.

"Why, no." Pelipper addressed me. "Good to meet you. I'm Pelipper, the postal carrier around these parts. I assume you just moved here?"

"Yes. It's nice to meet you, too," I responded courteously.

"Well, I must be on my way. Lots of mail to deliver. Have a good day." At that, Pelipper took off into the air.

I ran to the mailbox, eager to see what was inside. I pulled out a letter, which was, surprisingly, written in my own alphabet. I read it to Treecko.

"BZZ BZZ BZZ. I HEARD ABOUT YOU FROM CATERPIE. PLEASE. WE NEED YOUR HELP. MAGNEMITE IS IN TROUBLE. A STRANGE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE FLOWED THROUGH A DUNGEON CALLED THUNDERWAVE CAVE, AND IT STUCK TOGETHER MAGNEMITE AND MAGNEMITE. THAT ISN'T ENOUGH TO FORM A MAGNETON. IT ISN'T COMPLETE THE WAY IT IS NOW. PLEASE. WE NEED HELP. BZZ BZZ BZZ. FROM MAGNEMITE'S FRIEND."

"You can read that gibberish?" Treecko asked, looking at the letter. "Pokémon like Magnemite have such a strange alphabet."

"It's the English human alphabet, only in all capital letters," I said. "Anyway, we should head out. Do you know where Thunderwave Cave is?"

"Yes, but I've never actually been there," Treecko admitted. "It's much farther away than the Tiny Woods, though, so let's go."


	5. Three's the Charm

Chapter 5: Three's the Charm

Thunderwave Cave was a lot farther than Tiny Woods, and Treecko was running ahead excitedly, leaving me straggling behind. "Why can't we just use our rescue team badge thingy to warp ourselves there?" I asked in exhaustion.

"Because, our team's never been there before. Once we get there, we'll be able to warp there and back whenever we need to. You know, though, even Psychic-types can't warp somewhere they've never been to before." Treecko said.

"Okay, fine. Then, how much farther? Are we there yet?" I whined.

"Almost," Treecko responded. "Look! I think I see the cave entrance!"

Sure enough, an outcropping of rock loomed in the distance. As we approached it, we saw two Magnemite staring anxiously at the cave entrance. Once we got near, they turned around, clearly expecting us.

"THERE YOU ARE," one of the Magnemite said in a robotic voice. "WE NEED YOUR HELP. OUR FRIENDS ARE STUCK DEEP DOWN IN THIS CAVE. THEY ARE STUCK TOGETHER BECAUSE OF A STRANGE ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE EMANATING FROM THIS CAVE. WE WOULD GO OURSELVES, BUT WE RISK BEING STUCK TOGETHER, TOO."

"Wait," I said. "Doesn't it take three Magnemite to form a Magneton?"

"YES, THAT IS CORRECT."

"Then, why don't one of you go down there, get stuck, and evolve into a Magneton?"

"NONE OF OUR LEVELS ARE HIGH ENOUGH. IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH A STRONG MAGNETIC CONNECTION, WE MUST BE AT LEAST LEVEL 30. THOUGH THE CONNECTION WOULD BE STRONG WITHIN THIS DUNGEON, IT WOULD BREAK UPON EXIT."

"Well, why can't your friends just float out of the cave, even if they're connected?" I asked.

Treecko interrupted me. "Stop being so nosy and let's just get this rescue over with. They've asked us for help, so we're going to help them." He started to drag me into the cave.

"Hey! I want to know more!" I yelled as Treecko pulled me out of sight of the Magnemites.

Luckily, the cave wasn't that dark, because sunlight filtered in from cracks in the ceiling. As we entered, I saw some terrified Rattata and Nidoran running for safety in their burrows. While these Pokémon were frightened of us, I knew that there was a possibility of encountering hostile Pokémon. I needed to prepare for battle. Now what were Charmander's moves again? I struggled to remember. Since I couldn't breathe fire yet, I must not be all that strong. I looked down at my hands. That's it! I should know Scratch! I may not have had real claws, but my fingers were sharp!

All of a sudden, a pair of Poochyena appeared, growling and snarling at me and Treecko. Treecko looked at me with a fire in his eyes, ready for battle. "Check out my Leer!" he said, staring menacingly at the Poochyena. They cowered a bit, but continued to bark and howl at us. I instinctively growled back, frightening the Poochyena more. "Nice Growl!" Treecko praised.

The Poochyena closed in, and I prepared to use Scratch. Treecko ran ahead, his tail ready for a Pound attack. He slapped the Poochyena square in the face, causing it to abandon its friend and flee. I focused on the other one, running in and using Scratch to severely damage it. Treecko backed me up with an attack of his own, fainting it.

"All right, let's move on," Treecko said, focused entirely on the mission. We headed deeper into the dungeon, occasionally finding and battling wild Poochyena and Rattata that crossed our path. One Scratch or Pound from either of us could usually either knock out our opponent or, at the very least, send it running. I picked up any Poké they dropped and added it to my personal hoard. Luckily, the Toolbox had space specifically for Poké, so I didn't have to hold onto it myself.

At one point, I found a small seed on the ground, tiny enough to fit in the palm of my hand. Could I eat this? It was probably small enough that I could swallow it whole. "What's this, Treecko?" I asked my partner.

Treecko took it from me, examining it closely. "It's a Sleep Seed," he announced. "It will put you to sleep if you eat it."

So, basically it was the Pokémon version of a sedative. I put it in the Toolbox for safekeeping.

As we continued deeper into the cave, we started to spot some Electric-type Pokémon lurking nearby. Some Plusle and Minun peeked out at us from their hiding spots, too scared to approach us directly. "Judging from all these Electric Pokémon, I think we're getting close," Treecko said.

All of a sudden, a Voltorb came rolling towards us, getting faster and faster. "Quick! Get the Sleep Seed out and throw it!" Treecko said as we tried to outrun the rolling Voltorb.

"But…Voltorb doesn't have a mouth…does it?" I asked as I fumbled around in the Toolbox.

"It doesn't have to! If you throw a seed hard enough, it'll explode on contact with a Pokémon and release its effects! Now hurry up and throw it! I can't run much longer!"

I hurled the Sleep Seed at the rapidly moving Pokémon, praying that the seed hit its target. The seed burst on the Voltorb, causing the Pokémon to almost immediately fall asleep, its rolling coming to a halt. Treecko and I slowly came to a stop ourselves, panting from exhaustion. "Phew," I sighed, trying to catch my breath as I slumped, face down. After a few moments of rest, I looked up to see Treecko running at full speed towards the slumbering Voltorb. "Treecko!" I yelled. "What are you doing?"

"Take this, Voltorb!" Treecko said with great excitement, opening his arms wide. As I looked closer, I could see tiny speckles of light draining from the Voltorb to Treecko! What was Treecko doing?

Much to my surprise, the Voltorb continued to snooze despite Treecko's loud outburst and attack. "Come on!" Let's go before it wakes up, Treecko!" I beckoned to my partner.

"Oh, it won't wake up, not for a long time, at least," Treecko said. "A Sleep Seed induces such deep sleep that a Pokémon often won't wake up even if it's attacked. Plus, my attack probably did some serious damage to it."

"What was that attack, anyway?" I asked.

"Absorb, my first Grass-type attack!" Treecko beamed. "I've been waiting to learn that move for a long time now!"

"Nice!" I praised. We continued through the cave, going deeper and deeper. Treecko chattered nonstop about his new attack as we walked. Whenever we spotted a Poochyena or a Plusle, he would run off to try and use Absorb on it, usually scaring the poor creature away. I wished that I could learn a Fire-type attack, but every time I tried to breathe fire, nothing came out but air.

"Hey, look!" Treecko called to me. "It's a seed of some sort!" He pointed to the ground a few feet in front of us. Sure enough, a small seed just like the Sleep Seed I had found earlier was lying on the ground, just waiting to be taken. Treecko ran over to pick it up, when, out of nowhere, we heard a voice.

"That's my seed! I saw it first!" An Elekid jumped out from behind some rocks, heading straight for the seed. The plug on his head was already sparking with electricity.

"Watch out, Treecko!" I yelled, but it was too late. A blue stream of electricity streamed from the Elekid, heading straight for Treecko. On contact, Treecko froze, seemingly paralyzed. I somehow knew that it was Thunder Wave. With Treecko incapable of attack, I jumped into the fray, attacking the Elekid. The Elekid, instead of facing me, turned to Treecko and began to punch him in anger, completely ignoring me. This made me even angrier, and I roared at the Elekid, releasing all my fury.

Small flames burst from my mouth, burning the Elekid. "Oww, oww, oww!" he yelled. "Hot, hot, hot!" The Ember attack continued to cascade from my mouth, finally causing the stubborn Elekid to faint.

I ran to Treecko, alarmed and concerned for my friend. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"…Yeah…" Treecko said with some effort. "It's wearing off," Treecko began to move again. Small sparks of electricity flashed on Treecko's body as he shook off the attack. "That. Was. Awesome!" Treecko said, emphasizing every word. "You can breathe fire!"

"Yeah!" I said, now just as pumped as Treecko. "Oh, the seed!" I exclaimed. I had almost forgotten about the seed that had started it all. I picked it up, examining it closely. "I think it's another Sleep Seed," I announced.

Treecko came over to take a look. "Nope, it's a Blast Seed," Treecko said with confidence.

"What? But it looks exactly like the Sleep Seed!" I said.

"Who's the Grass-type here?" Treecko teased. "I'm positive. It's a Blast Seed. With this, any Pokémon can breathe fire, even Grass-types like me! I'll just keep this with me." Treecko said, hanging on to the seed.

"EXCUSE US?" someone said. Treecko and I looked ahead to see two fused Magnemite floating in an empty room, calling to us.

"The Magnemite!" Treecko exclaimed. "Come on, Emma!"

We ran a little farther ahead. The Magnemite were waiting for us eagerly. "We're here to rescue you," I said. "Come on, let's go!" I began to run out of the cave, expecting the Magnemite to follow.

"THAT IS THE PROBLEM. OBSERVE." The two Magnemite began to float after me, when an invisible force flung them back. "THE MAGNETISM IN THIS CAVE NOT ONLY ATTACHED US TOGETHER, IT ALSO HAS PREVENTED US FROM MOVING FAR."

"No problem!" Treecko said. "We're a rescue team, so we'll just warp you out with our Rescue Team Badge!"

Well, I felt stupid. Why didn't I remember that we could just teleport out with our new badge? I guess I still wasn't quite used to the idea. Plus, we had never actually used the badge before.

Treecko raised the badge up and pointed it at the Magnemite. Instantly, the two disappeared in a beam of light. He then pointed it at me, and I felt myself fading away…

I reappeared outside of the entrance to Thunderwave Cave, looking in awe at my surroundings. Treecko appeared a moment later, also looking bewildered by the new experience of teleporting. The Magnemite, still stuck together, slowly but surely began to pull away from each other. After a few moments, they had separated completely.

"YAY! BZZ BZZ BZZ! WE HAVE SEPARATED!" one of the Magnemite said in glee.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH!" the other one said.

"No problem!" I said, Treecko nodding his head in agreement. The two Magnemite we had met earlier approached us, each holding something attached to their magnets.

"PLEASE ACCEPT THIS REWARD!" one of the Magnemite said, offering us a Poké coin. I took it, looking on the back to see the amount. It was 500 Poké! That was a lot of money for such a simple mission!

The other Magnemite handed me a small seed that looked like every other seed I had seen thus far. It also gave me a berry that I recognized to be a Rawst Berry like the one Butterfree had given us. I put both items in the Toolbox.

"YOU ARE OUR HEROES! WE WON'T FORGET YOU!" one of the Magnemites said as the four of them left the area.

Treecko let out a sigh. "I'm bushed. Let's go home, Emma." He held up the Rescue Team Badge and warped us back to the base.

Once we had reappeared in front of the base, Treecko smiled and said, "That was great. I hope we do this good again tomorrow!"

"Yeah," I agreed, yawning a bit.

"Haha, you're tired, too, huh, Emma?" Treecko laughed. "I'll be going then. See you tomorrow!" Treecko headed off.

I went inside my house, my Belly grumbling a bit. Luckily, I found a bowl of apples at the table inside and consumed one hungrily. After finishing, I fell onto my bed and quickly fell asleep, exhausted from the day's adventure but ready for whatever tomorrow would bring.


	6. Into Town

Chapter 6: Into Town

That night, I had a very strange dream, a dream unlike any I'd had before. It felt very real, for a dream at least. It also shattered my theory that my turning into a Pokémon was a dream. I was surrounded by green, just the color green, undulating in spots. And, I wasn't doing anything! Nothing at all disturbed the landscape. I could say with certainty that this was the most boring dream I'd ever had! Yet, I sensed someone else there in my dream. Maybe someone was watching me? I had no clue, but I eventually sensed that the dream was fading, my consciousness slipping into deep sleep once again…

I woke up and walked outside, eager to see Treecko again and help more Pokémon in need. This morning, though, Treecko was nowhere to be seen. Where was he? Did I have to go find him? I didn't even remember where he said that he lived. Something…Forest? How was I ever supposed to find him now? I did remember that he went left last night when we returned from Thunderwave Cave. I began to ponder my options. Well, I could go ahead and check the mailbox to see if we have a job to do today. Maybe he'll show up soon!

I looked inside the mailbox, but I couldn't see anything inside. I even reached inside to feel around, but still there was nothing. Just then, I heard a familiar voice.

"Good morning, Emma!" Up already?" Treecko greeted me. Noticing that I was in front of the mailbox, Treecko said, "Oh, did we get any mail? Do we have any rescue requests?

I shook my head sadly. "Nope, nothing."

Treecko looked downcast for a moment, but then he shrugged. "Well, I guess that's to be expected. We are a really new team after all!" His face brightened. "Anyway, we should head to the Pelipper Post Office. Maybe there's some jobs posted on the bulletin board!"

"Huh?" I asked dumbly.

"Oh, yeah, you've never been to Pokémon Square before, have you Emma? Follow me and I'll show you around!" With that, Treecko led me on the path to the right of our rescue team base. After crossing over a small wooden bridge, we arrived in town. I could see many Pokémon, some just wandering around the square, others waiting behind shop counters. "First, to the Pelipper Post Office!" Treecko ran straight through the square, with me lagging behind. I could see the other Pokémon staring curiously at me as I walked by. I hurried to catch up with Treecko.

At the end of the path we were following, I was astounded to find myself on a cliff above the ocean! I stared at the breathtaking view, while Treecko approached a bulletin board next to a large building shaped like a Pelipper. "Come over here, Emma!" Treecko called. I ran over, examining the bulletin board. There were many slips of paper all posted to the bulletin board, with those Pokémon alphabet symbols scribbled all over them.

"This is the Bulletin Board. This is where Pokémon from all over post job requests. Hmmm…let's see." Treecko scanned over all of the various job requests. "I don't know many of these places. Oh! How about this one?" Treecko took one of the papers off, reading it. "It's from a Pidgey who lives in Tiny Woods. He wants someone to deliver a Rawst Berry to him because they don't grow in Tiny Woods. Sounds like an easy job, huh, Emma?" Treecko asked.

"A little too easy if you ask me. It's just a delivery job. We're not postal carriers, you know!"

"Yeah, but I don't know any of these other places, and they all have higher ranks anyway."

"Ranks?" I asked.

Treecko sighed. "Okay, now I'm really starting to believe your human story. Anyway, ranks determine the difficulty of a job. E is the easiest rank, so we should stick with those jobs for now."

"Fine." I sighed. "Let's go."

"Wait. Put this in the Toolbox." Treecko handed me the job request. "We need to show this to Pidgey in order to prove that we're not enemies. Make sure you always take the rescue letter along with you on the job, or else you can't do that job."

"All right, Mr. Tutorial, let's get on with it," I teased, running ahead of Treecko back into the square. I began to run back to base, ignoring the stares of the other Pokémon, when Treecko stopped me.

"Before we go, let me show you around town and introduce you to the other Pokémon." I didn't know if I wanted to be introduced, considering the stares all of the Pokémon were constantly giving me. Nevertheless, I followed behind Treecko obediently. He led me to a stall of some sort with two Kecleon, one green and one purple, standing behind the counter.

"First, these are the Kecleon brothers. You can buy and sell items at their shop," Treecko explained.

"Good morning!" they said simultaneously. "A new friend of yours, Treecko?" one of them asked.

"Yes, this is Emma." Treecko introduced me.

"Pleased to meet you!" they both again said simultaneously. "We hope you will find our wares useful!"

Next, Treecko led me south of the shop. I whispered to Treecko, "Why are they colored differently? Aren't all Kecleon green?"

"They're naturally green, yes. But all Kecleon have the ability to change their color, so one of those Kecleon decided to become purple so the rest of the townsfolk could tell them apart!" Treecko explained.

Next, we arrived at another stall in front of a massive warehouse. "Hello, Kangaskhan!" Treecko greeted.

"Hello, Treecko! I've heard that you've started a rescue team! Feel free to store any extra items here at Kangaskhan Storage!" she responded.

All of a sudden, a baby popped out of her pouch, mimicking its mother, "Hi! Store! Items!"

Treecko laughed. "Okay, we will, little guy!" After introducing me, Treecko headed to another shop with a Gulpin waiting behind the counter.

The Gulpin yawned. "Good morning. How may I help you?"

"Oh, we're not here to link moves, Gulpin. I just wanted to introduce you to my new partner, Emma," Treecko said.

"Link moves?" I asked.

Treecko, again surprised at my lack of knowledge, said, "When you link moves…"

The Gulpin suddenly spoke up. "Allow me, Treecko. A linked move is, simply put, two or more moves together. A Pokémon has the ability to use two or more of their moves at the same time in battle. For example, I can use Sludge to damage my opponent while using Poison Gas to guarantee that my foe becomes poisoned, all at the same time. Naturally, though, using linked moves does drain your energy more quickly. I have learned the technique for teaching Pokémon how to use linked moves, and I am willing to teach you for a mere 150 Poké. What do you say?"

Still rather confused, I replied, "Uh, no thanks."

"Very well, but if ever you find yourself in need of a linked move, come to Gulpin's Link Shop!" the Gulpin said.

The final shop was located north of Gulpin's Link Shop. I noticed that there seemed to be an empty shop next door. As I was staring at it, I heard a scary-sounding voice, complete with a German accent. "Velcome," a Persian growled.

"You mean welcome?" I timidly corrected.

"That's vhat I said," the Persian replied. "You give me Poké?"

I was taken aback. "What! No, why would I give you my Poké?"

Treecko facepalmed. "Sorry about that, Persian. My friend Emma's new in town." Turning to me, Treecko explained, "This is a bank, Emma. Please tell me you know what a bank is!"

Okay, once again, I was feeling stupid. "Yeah, I know what a bank is." I fumbled around in the Toolbox and got out the Poké I had found in Tiny Woods and the Poké Magnemite gave us. "I guess we should store this, then," I said, reluctantly handing the money to Persian.

Persian said, "Your total is 551 Poké. I will guard it jealously."

Okay, that's creepy, I thought. Treecko grabbed me by the arm and pulled me towards the center of the square. "Yeah, so that's Felicity Bank, but try not to be so rude to Persian! She's not from around here, you see. We call her Persian because she's the only one in the square, but her real name is Felicity because she used to live with others of her kind in the wild."

"Yeah, I can tell she's wild." I shivered.

"Emma!" Treecko looked around nervously. "Don't say stuff like that!" He started leading me towards the north of town. "Anyway, we gotta introduce you to the town elder, Whiscash! He's always in his pond north of town! Come on!"

"Hey!" someone yelled, intercepting Treecko and I. It was a Snubbull, speaking in a regal, dignified voice of sorts. "You're new in town. Are you perhaps Charizard's kid?"

I was surprised. "What? No! I mean, maybe…" I was a Charmander, so I guess it would be expected that I'd have Charizard parents.

Treecko came to my rescue. "No, Emma here just moved into town to help me on my rescue team. She doesn't know any family members, do you Emma?"

"No," I admitted.

The Snubbull smiled, "All right, well it's a pleasure to meet you, Emma! I'm Snubbull, by the way." Turning around, he called, "Hey, Lombre, Bellsprout! Come say hello!"

The two Pokémon ran over. "The name's Lombre. Nice to meet you, uhhh…"

"Emma," I said.

"Emma. All right, then, nice to meet you, Emma!" The Lombre smiled.

"And I'm Bellsprout! I just moved here a few weeks ago myself. The forest where I used to live was burned by a forest fire," the Pokémon said, shuddering at the memory.

Treecko interrupted. "Well, we've gotta go see Whiscash, so bye everyone!" He then, once again, began to pull me towards the north of the square, everyone waving goodbye behind us.

We came to a pond with a small island in the middle, connected by a concrete bridge. Treecko ran up to the island, and I followed. I peered into the pond, but I couldn't see anything. Then, all of a sudden, a massive ovular shadow of sorts began to rise. Soon enough, a Whiscash popped out of the water.

"Good day, Treecko!" the old Whiscash said. "Ah, and who is this?" he said, looking me over.

"This is my new partner, Emma! She just moved here!" Treecko replied.

The Whiscash addressed me. "Ah, pleasure to make your acquaintance. You may call me Whiscash."

Yeah, got that, I thought to myself, but I didn't want to sound rude.

Treecko explained, "Whiscash is our town elder, so many Pokémon look to him for advice. He's very wise."

Whiscash chuckled. "Treecko, you always give me too much credit. My wisdom only comes from experience. In reality, I'm just an old geezer."

Treecko laughed back. "You know that's not true." He looked at me. "Anyway, we'd best be going. We've got a job to do!" he said enthusiastically. And just like that, Treecko was off running. I lagged behind, as usual.

Whiscash called, "Have fun, you kids! Oh, to be young again…"


	7. Rescue Work

Chapter 7: Rescue Work

Treecko and I traveled through the Tiny Woods yet again, searching for the client Pidgey. This time through, it was a relatively quiet journey. Few Pokémon dared to attack us, and those who did were quickly beaten down with a Pound from Treecko or an Ember from myself. Every time a Pidgey approached, Treecko and I would try to ask it if it had posted the delivery request. Most of those Pidgey would momentarily look confused before flying to attack us with battle cries of "Die, you intruders!" or some such nonsense.

While we searched, Treecko and I chatted with each other about various topics. Well, I should say that Treecko did most of the talking, as my memory loss prevented me from sharing anything but countless questions.

"This is a Reviver Seed. If eaten when fainted, it will completely restore you back to full health," Treecko explained, showing me one of the seeds in our Toolbox. "And this is a Blast Seed," he said, showing me the other one. "See the difference?"

I shook my head, saying, "Not at all! They just look like little yellow seeds to me."

Treecko shook his head and sighed. "Emma, you need to know your seeds."

"Why? I'm not a Grass-type like you," I said in mock disgust, rolling my eyes. "You can just tell me what they are."

"And if one of us faints?" Treecko looked at me sharply. "You'll need to know which seed is a Reviver Seed."

I took the Reviver Seed from Treecko and placed it in a pocket of the Toolbox. "Here, all Reviver Seeds will go here in a separate pocket. Problem solved."

Treecko shook his head, exasperated. "Emma, Emma, when will you ever learn?"

Finally, as we were chatting, a Pidgey approached us cautiously.

"Umm, excuse me, but are you a rescue team?" it asked nervously.

"We sure are!" Treecko said. "And you must be the client Pidgey," Treecko said, grabbing the rescue letter and showing it to Pidgey.

I took out one of our two Rawst Berries and handed it to Pidgey. "Here you go."

The Pidgey seemed overjoyed. "Oh, thank you! I've really wanted one of these! So yummy!" The Pidgey looked down. "But…I don't have the reward with me. Do you mind if I fly back to my nest to retrieve it? I'll meet you at the Pelipper Post Office later. I promise I won't take off without rewarding you properly."

I looked at Treecko anxiously. This was making me nervous. I wasn't so sure the Pidgey was being honest. But Treecko didn't seem to notice my anxiety.

"Sure, no problem!" he said cheerily. "See you later!" He took the rescue badge off of the Toolbox, held it up, and transported me back.

We were transported back to the Pelipper Post Office this time. While waiting for Pidgey, Treecko browsed through the rescue jobs on the bulletin board for tomorrow. He seemed to have found one, because he took down one of the papers from the board. Meanwhile, the Pidgey had arrived.

"Here. This is all I have." The Pidgey handed me a Poké coin worth 100 Poké.

After thanking the Pidgey, Treecko and I headed back through the town square and back to the base.

Treecko waved goodbye as he headed away. "I found a job we might be able to do tomorrow! See you then!"

I waved back and headed inside for a meal and a good night's sleep.

I woke up and ran outside, eager to start the day. Looking up into the sky, I noticed Pelipper flying by, prompting me to check the mailbox for the day. Peering inside, I took out another…newspaper. Darn it, I never can read these, I thought. Just then, Treecko arrived looking refreshed and ready for the day.

"Any mail?" he asked.

"Here," I said as I handed him the newspaper.

"All right! The Pokémon news! Thanks, Emma!" Treecko exclaimed. "Hey, do you mind if I leave this here until we get back tonight? I have a great rescue job for today!" Treecko stuffed the newspaper into the mailbox and pulled out a rescue request, reading it. "It's from a Sunkern. She's apparently lost in Thunderwave Cave and too weak to move. She claims she's about to evolve, so she can't move much." Treecko looked up. "Sounds easy, right?"

"Yeah, sure, let's do it!" I exclaimed. With that, Treecko held my hand and shouted into the rescue team badge, "Thunderwave Cave!" I instantly felt myself blacking out, then reappearing at the entrance to the cave. That was convenient, I thought. We headed inside, carefully making our way through the cave, fighting off enemies all the while. I even found a little more Poké as we walked.

At first, the enemies were easily beaten, but as we descended deeper into the cave, the enemies became tougher. We kept a close eye out for Sunkern as we continued.

All of a sudden, an Elekid came out of nowhere! "Stop right there, intruders!" it yelled as it began to spin its arms wildly, sparks flying at the top of its head. Before Treecko or I had time to react, the Elekid launched a Thunder Wave at me. The electricity surged through my body, and though it didn't hurt, I felt my muscles tense up. My movement was slow, and I couldn't summon up the energy to fight back. As I stood there paralyzed, Treecko began to run away! The Elekid quickly gave chase as I watched with growing anger. Treecko had just abandoned me! Here I am unable to move, and he flees instead of attacking my aggressor.

"Emma!" Treecko called from afar.

"I can't move, you idiot!" I called back, fuming.

"Catch!" Treecko yelled, hurling something at me. Treecko was a good pitcher, because the object landed cleanly in my hands. "Eat it!" he yelled.

What, now he's trying to poison me? The object was a small red berry, a curly vine sprouting from one end. I wanted to ask Treecko what it was, but I saw he was now engaged in battle with the Elekid. Still angry, I didn't want anything to do with what Treecko had given me! He ran away, after all! Yet, something in my mind told me this berry was not harmful. I seemed to recognize it somehow. So, I slowly brought my hands up to my mouth and took a bite. Not too bad! I thought. It was sorta spicy, like salsa. I ate the whole thing, and my body began to tingle. I felt my muscles relaxing and my energy returning. I wasn't paralyzed anymore!

All anger subsiding, I ran towards Treecko and the Elekid, preparing to use Ember. The Elekid turned around in surprise, but by then my Ember had already scorched him. The Elekid finally fainted, much to my relief.

Treecko looked at me, and I looked down, ashamed. Treecko began, "I ran because I spotted a Cheri Berry on the ground and I knew you needed it."

"I know that now, Treecko." I said gently. "I'm sorry I called you an idiot. I thought you had totally abandoned me!"

Treecko looked appalled. "Emma, we're partners! I would never do that! But, it's okay." He smiled cheerfully. "Now, we've got a Sunkern to find!"

As we continued on, I thought about what Treecko had said. Sure, we're partners, but how much would Treecko risk to stay by my side? What if we were in a life-threatening situation? Wouldn't Treecko run then?

Up ahead, I noticed a small yellow seed lying on the ground. I slowly approached, wondering if it was another Sleep Seed or Blast Seed. Suddenly, two green sprouts popped out of the seed. I realized then that the seed was actually Sunkern!

"Look, Treecko! It's Sunkern!" I exclaimed. We ran up to the Sunkern. Treecko took out the rescue letter. "Sunkern! We're a rescue team and we're here to save you!"

The Sunkern slowly turned around and spoke in a quiet voice. "A rescue team? Thank you so much! But…I can't move."

"No problem!" Treecko said, holding up the rescue team badge and pointing it at Sunkern. "Back to Pokémon Square!" With that, Sunkern disappeared in a beam of light, followed by me. I found myself back in Pokémon Square, facing the bulletin board. Sunkern was there, too, and Treecko appeared shortly thereafter.

"Thank you so much!" the Sunkern repeated. "This is all I have. Please accept it!" In each of the Sunkern's sprouts was an item. In one, I picked up a Poké piece, worth 200 Poké. In the other sprout was a seed that Treecko took.

"No problem!" I told the Sunkern. "And thank you!"

"One more thing," the Sunkern said. "Can one of you take me inside the Pelipper Post Office? I'm too weak to move, but I need to get back to Tiny Woods somehow. I think the Pelipper can carry me there, but I need to ask."

"Sure thing!" Treecko said, gingerly picking up the Sunkern. Treecko headed inside the Pelipper Post Office, with me following. I was surprised to see multiple Pelippers flying about the store or waiting behind counters. Treecko approached one of the Pelipper and asked if Sunkern could get a ride home. The Pelipper agreed and took Sunkern from Treecko. Treecko then turned to me. "Let's go, Emma."

We arrived back at the base exhausted. After bidding me good night, Treecko took his newspaper from the mailbox and headed to his home. I went inside, ate a little food, and promptly fell asleep on my nice bed of itchy hay.


End file.
